Electric pressure cookers require more liquid to operate that most stovetop pressure cookers. It is important to become familiar with the minimum amount of liquid your particular cooker will need to reach pressure. It’s usually 1 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid – but check your manual to make sure.

Recipes on this website and hip cookbook are written for both types of pressure cookers may call for less liquid, and that’s OK because we calculate the liquid given off by the vegetables (75-95% water) as part of the liquid in the recipe.

in the pre-heated pressure cooker

saute’

reduce

bring to a boil

Most electric pressure cookers have a “saute” or “brown” button that can be pushed to pre-heat, saute or boil liquids in the cooker.

For electrics that don’t have a specific button, check the manual. You may be able to start any pressure cooking program without the lid – thereby heating the base (don’t worry, the cooker can’t reach pressure without the lid).

For electric pressure cookers with just a dial setting, just turn the dial to the maximum minutes when sauteing or reducing.

close and lock the lid

Most electric pressure cookers automatically lock their lid shut – unless your manual says otherwise, just twist the lid on. This is a good time to check that the valve on the lid of the electric pressure cooker is set to the position for pressure cooking. Some of these lids have a setting called “seal” or “pressure.”

bring the cooker to pressure on high heat

when the cooker has reached pressure, turn down the heat

You can safely ignore these instructions – they are for bringing a stovetop pressure cooker to pressure by using different heat levels.Your electric pressure cooker already does this automatically after you punch-in the cooking time.

pressure cook for XYZ minutes

Most stovetop pressure cooker recipes are written for pressure cookers that reach 13-15psi, and most electric pressure cookers cook at 9-12psi. This means that less heat is being applied to the food so it will take more time to get the same results – the recipes on this website already include the cooking time in a range (with the higher cooking time for electrics) but when translating a recipe from another website, or book, look-up the cooking time for the main ingredient in your cooker’s instruction manual or our pressure cooking time chart. See Also: PSI FAQ: the questions you didn’t think to ask about pressure

pressure cook for X number of whistles

This is a special way most in the East Indies keep pressure cooking time with their venting pressure cookers. Your electric pressure cooker will not whistle, read our article about converting whistles to pressure cooking time.

release pressure

Turn the valve on the top of the lid to “release” or “open.” For specific guidance on all opening methods, read our article on pressure cooker opening methods.

pour water on the lid

immerse the base in water

Don’t do this. : )

If you have any more questions, please post them in the comments section, below. And, don’t worry, the recipes on this website, and in the hip pressure cooking cookbook are already written for both stove top and electric pressure cookers!

8 Responses

Hi Laura, I am new to pressure cooking and love your site. I picked up Lorna Sass’ Pressure Perfect and she says to reduce the cooking time in the electric cooker to account for a longer natural release period. I’m confused because most of what I’ve read online matches your instructions to increase the time. I’m cooking with an Instant Pot — any suggestions on the conflicting advice?

Well, you have to take that advice in the context it was made. She wrote that book 12 years ago – before electrics became popular. She may not even had had direct experience with an electric pressure cooker at that time or even known that they operate at a lower pressure than stovetop pressure cookers.

Until I compared the two myself I also though electric pressure cookers took much longer to reach pressure – but that is simply a rumor that was passed around by people who had not actually used one. Though, the Natural Pressure Release does take longer for the simple fact that you can’t remove the cooker base from the heating element this is usually not an issue (unless you’re really hungry ; ).

I tested and posted the cooking times between electrics and stovetops and found that for generally less-dense foods (most veggies, refined grains) the cooking time between the two is the same. For denser foods (potatoes, whole grains and meat) you really do need add a little extra time so that the lower pressure can penetrate fully.

I’m having the opposite problem. Instant Pot is so popular, that all the recipes I find are for it…but I have s Kuhn Rikon stovetop pressure cooker. I’m looking for a way to convert from electric to stovetop. Any hints?

Kasuso, any recipes on this website can be used for either electric (Instant Pot) or stovetop pressure cookers. Just see the recommended stovetop cooking time in the recipe or look-up the main ingredient in the cooking time chart and follow the recommended cooking time for stovetop.

You might also look for pressure cooking cookbooks that are a couple of years old. Until the last couple of years when electric PCs have become very popular, most recipes were written with stovetop PCs in mind and often didn’t include any mention of electric PCs. The recipes in those books were written for stovetops.

i have a power pressure cooker xl i want to learn how to transform any recipe into a pressure cooking recipe to save time in the kitchen like chicken or cheap cuts of red meat regular stove top to pressure cooker and time adjustment

albert, the main differences are in the minimum liquid and -as you guessed- cooking time. Just be aware if stovetop pressure cooker recipe calls for 1/2 cup of liquid you’re going to need 1 1/2 cups in your power pressure cooker. The cooking times are easy, just look-up the cooking time of the main ingredient in our cooking time chart (link at the top of every page, or in the “main menu” for mobile phoones) and follow the recommended time for electric pressure cookers.

Welcome, and come back to let us know how your pressure cooking is going!

I just use the times published (wherever and for electric or manual) for both my Instant Pot Smart and Fagor and Tfal cookers. There may be subtleties I am missing but 95% they work fine.

Except for very fast cooking foods like broccoli a minute here or there who cares. I always err on the side of less time and/or less pressure but any recipe from hippressurecooking.com seems good to go and most cooking times.

Then you have to take into account altitude. I shouldn’t be easy but generally I find it is.

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